In Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s 1-0 win against Loudoun United FC on Saturday at Segra Field, forward Albert Dikwa made his first start with the club one to remember.
For the first 80 minutes of Saturday’s match, the teams were invested in a defensive battle. And two saves from goalkeeper Danny Vitiello helped keep Loudoun off the board during the game, despite a few quality chances.
In the 81st minute, the Hounds had their best scoring chance of the match. Danny Griffin sent a pass to Steevan Dos Santos outside the penalty area. From here Loudoun’s backline (red circles) collapsed on Dos Santos, leaving an open passing lane (yellow arrow) to the right of the penalty area.
Dos Santos exploited the error, sending a pass into the right side of the penalty area to Dikwa. Loudoun goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre then came off his line (blue arrow), challenging the young forward just outside the six-yard box. The Garoua, Cameroon native then pumped on the breaks and dribbled to his right (green arrow).
Lefebvre could only watch as Dikwa sent the ball into the bottom-left corner, giving the Hounds a 1-0 lead. Hounds fans know Dikwa is no stranger to late-game scoring chances. In his first match with the club back on Sept. 1 against Loudoun, he scored in the 88th minute, after Lefebvre came off his line to challenge him.
Dikwa will be back in action with the rest of the Hounds this Saturday, when they face Hartford Athletic at Highmark Stadium. The match is set to kick off at 7 p.m. and will be televised locally on 22 The Point.
